Refuge Pond, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Refuge Pond is one of the Lake County listings for Minnesota. The bank gives way to rolling bush. The water measures roughly 17 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Ely sits 15 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 110 miles away. Within a short run: Section Twelve Lake 0.6 miles, Glacier Pond 0.7 miles away, Jasper 0.7 miles, Ojibway Lake 0.9 miles away and Jewell Lake 0.9 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Refuge Pond

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Lake County: white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Refuge Pond the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 3°F to 65°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That shapes the year on Refuge Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Section Twelve Lake, 0.6 miles away. For Refuge Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.